FUELS & OILS
Renewable diesel is again a major focus in mining thanks to some high profile applications for mining fleets. Paul Moore looks at this as well as other lower emissions fuel options, as well as news in oils and lubricants
Green diesel
At 3.4 trillion litres per year, Neste is now the largest producer of renewable diesel in the world( image courtesy Neste)
Most of the major mining companies are today looking to alternative fuel strategies as a way to reduce Scope 1 emissions in the short to medium term, not as an alternative but in tandem with hybrid and full electric solutions. It is a way to mitigate the fact that hybridisation and full electrification are not yet mature in mining; as well as achieving lower cost emissions reductions with existing fleets.
One of the main areas being looked at and applied is renewable diesel – specifically HVO( Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) which is produced from waste feedstocks like vegetable oils and animal fats. There is an important distinction to be made between HVO and biodiesel or FAME( Fatty Acid Methyl Ester)- biodiesel is produced from similar sources but is made via biomass esterification, where fats are broken down then reacted with methanol to produce a final product similar to fossil diesel, but with a higher oxygen content. HVO is is produced via the hydroprocessing of oils and fat, which gives a final product chemically indistinguishable from conventional diesel fuels.
HVO’ s upsides are that is stores better, has better climatic resilience, and it can be used as a full replacement with existing engines, as outlined by Rio Tinto:“ Renewable diesel is chemically identical to conventional diesel, but it’ s created from renewable raw materials instead of crude oil. Because it’ s so similar, we don’ t need to modify our existing diesel engines – our existing fleet of diesel trucks, trains and mobile equipment can switch straight to using it. Renewable diesel generates far lower greenhouse gas emissions, and doesn’ t have a shelf life, meaning its storage and distribution is far easier. And it meets the ASTM D975 specification for petroleum in the United States and EN 15940 in Europe.”
Biodiesel or FAME cannot wholesale replace conventional diesel, so needs to be used in blends- most commonly in a B20 blend( 20 % biodiesel, 80 % diesel). That said, using blends is still a way to reduce emissions while maintaining compatibility with existing mining equipment and infrastructure.
The challenge for renewable diesel today is that it is limited by feedstocks, and also that mining is competing with the on-road haulage, marine and aviation sectors, which for many major oil companies are the initial priority for renewable diesel supply.
The third fuel worth mentioning is liquefied natural gas( LNG), which can be used in a dual fuel system with diesel but requires a conversion kit. To give one example, GFS Corp’ s EVO-MT ® System enables LNG + diesel operation without engine modifications, retaining diesel-only mode. It uses patented AGM technology for optimal diesel replacement with LNG.
Then there is of course hydrogen, which can be used in the powertrain as part of a fuel cell in a hybrid FCEV mining truck along with a battery module, or in a hydrogen combustion engine. Other options include ethanol / methanol and ammonia, all of which are also part of the alternative fuels mix under testing or consideration in mining.
Liebherr – a fuel agnostic approach
In terms of the major mining equipment OEMs, most are already recommending HVO as an option for customers because the engines in their equipment are already able to accept it – however – most are also looking at other alternatives as well.
Liebherr is a great example – HVO can already power a large proportion of Liebherr’ s mining equipment, either in its pure form or as an additive to fossil diesel. And it is already being used in Liebherr factories. For example, from January 2022 onwards, Liebherr expanded its use of Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ to its plant in Kirchdorf where the company develops and manufactures annually approximately 2,500 machines, such as hydraulic excavators, material handling machines and articulated trucks. Neste-produced renewable diesel is used in the first fill and testing as well as in all plant traffic. Liebherr had already been powering its mobile and crawler cranes at its plant in Ehingen exclusively with Neste MY Renewable Diesel since September 2021. On other options, it states:“ Liebherr Mining is both powertrain and fuel agnostic, giving our customers the freedom to choose what works best for their operations. Alongside electrification, we’ re working on providing zero emission solutions that work with ammonia and hydrogen, such as ammonia gensets and hybrid haulage options.”
Liebherr’ s future portfolio of solutions will be less electric grid dependent, providing more flexibility and will likely be based on a combination of technologies. Flexibility is provided through on-board energy storage with the use of batteries or renewable fuels such as hydrogen or hydrogen based derivate fuels( ammonia, methanol or more sophisticated E-fuels). The methanol combustion process has been developed and is ready to move towards serial engine industrialisation based on market demand. On hydrogen combustion engines – in 2024 it unveiled the L 566 H prototype large wheel loader with a hydrogen reciprocating piston engine.
Once more sophisticated E-fuels become competitively available at large scale, Liebherr is ready to utilise these fuels in machines equipped with Liebherr engines. Liebherr sees a high potential in the usage of ammonia for heavy mobile, high
International Mining | JULY 2025